District Planning Issues
You may have seen coverage recently in the local and national press about planning development and the building of new homes in the East of England, as part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Sustainable Communities Plan and the East of England Regional Assembly's (EERA) Regional Spatial Strategy.
North Hertfordshire District Council is strongly opposed to the unnecessary building of new dwellings on greenbelt land and greenfield sites in North Hertfordshire.
The Regional Planning Panel (RPP) for the East of England has held a series of meetings to discuss the future development of the region. NHDC Councillor Richard Thake, portfolio holder for planning, environment and transport, sits on this panel to represent the views of North Hertfordshire District Council.
Despite the vocal opposition of this council, at a meeting of the Regional Planning Panel (RPP) on 15 October 2004, the panel agreed to accept the draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).
This strategy proposes the building of 478,000 new dwellings in the East of England by 2021. This figure is more than the existing number of dwellings in Suffolk and Bedfordshire combined.
So what does this mean for Hertfordshire?
79,600 new dwellings in Hertfordshire as a whole by 2021
54,000 of these to be built on previously developed land
25,000 to be built on greenfield sites, mostly within the greenbelt
15,800 new dwellings in North Hertfordshire by 2021
8,500 of these on greenfield / greenbelt sites
Councillor Thake and Councillor Smith said,
"North Hertfordshire faces massive pressure to accommodate development. As a council we are not seeking to resist all development but we have fundamental concerns that the sheer amount of pressure we face will seriously affect the lives of everyone in North Hertfordshire. There is already a deficit in infrastructure in the district and the scale of development that is being envisaged will only worsen this."
Now that the draft strategy has been endorsed by the RPP, it will be taken to a meeting of the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) on 5 November, to seek its approval of the proposals.
The council is against unnecessary development and especially the development of greenbelt land. NHDC continues to promote brownfield sites where appropriate, but will resist the principle of unnecessary greenbelt development, which could have significant impacts on North Hertfordshire villages and rural communities.
Have your say
What do you think about these plans? Do you think additional development in the region would be good for North Hertfordshire? Or are you concerned about the affect it will have on our many and varied rural communities?
Why not drop us a line with your comments and views? Send them via email to service@north-herts.gov.uk 
or by post to Communications Team, Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth GC, SG6 3JF.
Keep revisiting this page of the website for updates on regional planning issues and to see some of your comments on the future development within North Hertfordshire.
